Travis Frederick(born March 18, 1991) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who spent his entire seven-year career as acenterfor theDallas Cowboysof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theWisconsin Badgersand was selected 31st overall by the Cowboys in the first round of the2013 NFL draft.In his time as a Cowboy he was elected to fivePro Bowlsand he was anAll-Proin 2014, 2015 and 2016. Frederick is now the co-founder &chief operating officerof thetabletop role-playing gamecompanyDemiplane.
 Frederick in 2016 | |||||||
| No. 72 | |||||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 18, 1991 Sharon, Wisconsin,U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Big Foot(Walworth, Wisconsin) | ||||||
| College: | Wisconsin(2009–2012) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2013/ round: 1 / pick: 31 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editA native ofSharon, Wisconsin,Frederick attendedBig Foot High SchoolinWalworth, Wisconsin,where he was an all-state two-way lineman. He helped hishigh schoolteam to second place in the 2008WIAADivision 4 state playoffs.[1]
Frederick was also on Big Foot's track team. He finished second in theshot putat the 2008 'BDN' Invite, with a throw of 15.23 meters (50 ft 0 in). He took silver in thediscus throwat the 2008 WIAA Sectional Championships, with a throw of 49.30 meters (161 ft 9 in).[2]
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals,Frederick was ranked as the No. 83offensive tackleprospect in his class.[3]
College career
editFrederick attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison,and played for theWisconsin Badgers footballteam from 2009 to 2012. After graduating high school early to participate in spring practice, Frederick became the firsttrue freshmanin Badgers history to start a season-opening game on the offensive line, when he lined up atcenteragainstNorthern Illinois.An ankle injury in week 2 knocked him out of the starting lineup, but he returned for the final two games, atleft guard,after centerPeter Konzwas sidelined (blood clots) andJohn Moffittwas moved to center. For the season, he played in five games, starting four (two at center and two at left guard).
In order to preserve a year of Frederick'sNCAA eligibility,Wisconsin coaching staff decided toredshirthim in 2010.[4]In his redshirt sophomore season, Frederick replaced John Moffitt, starting 11 of 13 games at left guard. For two games, he had to substitute for Peter Konz at center.
Following Konz's departure for the2012 NFL draft,Frederick was moved to center his junior season. He started all 13 games at center and was named a first-teamAll-AmericanbyPro Football Weekly.[5]
Professional career
editConsidered the best center in his class byMel Kiper Jr.ofESPN,Frederick decided to enter the2013 NFL draftas an underclassman.[6]He was projected to be a second- to third-round selection.
At theNFL Combine,Frederick ran a 5.58 in the40-yard dash,second-slowest among offensive lineman.[7]He also posted a below-average 21 repetitions in the 225 lbbench press.[8][9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+5⁄8in (1.92 m) |
312 lb (142 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
5.58 s | 1.91 s | 3.20 s | 4.76 s | 7.81 s | 28+1⁄2in (0.72 m) |
8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) |
21 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[10][11] | ||||||||||||
In the2013 NFL draft,theDallas Cowboystraded down in the first round with theSan Francisco 49ersin exchange for a third-round pick (used to draftTerrance Williams). In the first round, the team selected Frederick after eight offensive linemen were drafted before him.[12]This decision caused a stir in the media because it was not only seen as a reach, but the trade was also criticized for bringing poor compensation after moving down 13 positions.[13]
Frederick was named a starter from the first day of Organized Team Activities in the preseason, replacingPhil Costa,who had been the starter in the previous two years. He became the first rookie in franchise history to start every game atcenterand was selected to theNFLAll-Rookie team.[14][15]
The next year, he continued his development, by anchoring what was arguably considered as the bestoffensive linein the league and was also named to his firstPro Bowl.
In2015,he had to work with four different starting quarterbacks with varying degrees of knowledge of the team's offense, which required him to make more protection calls. He was named to his secondPro Bowl.[16]
On August 13, 2016, Frederick signed a six-year, $56.4 million contract extension with the Cowboys, making him the highest-paid center in the league.[17]
Before the start of the2016 season,Frederick was named one of the five team captains.[18]That year, Frederick helped pave the way for rookie running backEzekiel Elliottto the NFL rushing yards leader and his first Pro Bowl while protecting rookie quarterbackDak Prescottto his first Pro Bowl as well. He was named to his third straightPro Bowland was named First-teamAll-Pro,both honors being shared with fellow Cowboy offensive linemenTyron SmithandZack Martin.[19]He was also ranked 87th on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017as the only center in the list.[20]
On December 19, 2017, Frederick was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl alongside tackle Tyron Smith and guard Zack Martin for the second straight year.[21]
On September 3, 2018, Frederick was placed on injured reserve to start the 2018 season after being diagnosed withGuillain–Barré syndromeon August 22.[22]He was inactive for the first four games before inevitably being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on October 6, 2018.[23]
Frederick was named to his fifthPro Bowlin 2019.
On March 23, 2020, Frederick announced his retirement from professional football.[24][25]
Other endeavors
editFrederick, with Peter Romenesko, co-foundedDemiplanein 2019. Demiplane acts as a digital platform for varioustabletop role-playing gametools such as game hosting and matchmaking along with digital compendiums for licensed games; the platform launched in 2020.[26][27]Frederick is the company'schief operating officer.[28]On the change of direction in his career, Frederick said, "I really enjoy the challenge of something new".[29]In June 2024, Demiplane was acquired by thevirtual tabletopcompanyRoll20.[30]
Personal life
editFrederick double majored in computer engineering and computer science at the University of Wisconsin.[31]
On August 22, 2018, Frederick was diagnosed withGuillain–Barré syndrome.[32][33][34]
Frederick has two brothers, Tyler and Collin.
References
edit- ^Worgull, Benjamin (March 13, 2024)."Former Big Foot star Travis Frederick no ordinary UW freshman".GazetteXtra.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
- ^"Travis Frederick".Athletic.net.
- ^"2009 Offensive Tackles Prospect Ranking".rivals. January 15, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 15,2009.
- ^"UW staff hopes to get through 2010 without Frederick".jsonline.
- ^"NFL football news, rumors, analysis".Pro Football Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2012.
- ^"Wisconsin's Frederick announces he's going pro".January 4, 2013.
- ^"Travis Frederick stands pat at pro day".The Chippewa Herald.March 7, 2013.
- ^"Frederick believes his performance on the field is enough for pro scouts".Walworth County Today.March 7, 2013.
- ^"Cowboys' Potential Draft Pick: Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin".NBCDFW.March 26, 2013.
- ^"Travis Frederick NFL Draft profile".NFL.March 1, 2013.RetrievedMarch 3,2013.
- ^"Travis Frederick rating".NFLDraftScout. March 1, 2013.RetrievedMarch 3,2013.
- ^"2013 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.RetrievedMay 14,2023.
- ^"Travis Frederick surprised at selection".ESPN.April 26, 2013.RetrievedApril 3,2014.
- ^"Roster Rundown: Frederick Exceeded First-Round Hopes".DallasCowboys. March 3, 2014.RetrievedApril 3,2014.
- ^"2013 NFL All-Rookie Team".Pro-Football-Reference.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
- ^"Sean Lee gets INT, center Travis Frederick takes a snap at QB; plus how much money each Cowboy made at the Pro Bowl".DallasNews. January 2016.RetrievedJune 13,2017.
- ^Wesseling, Chris (August 13, 2016)."Travis Frederick signs six-year, $56.4M extension".NFL.RetrievedJuly 23,2017.
- ^"Cowboys Vote 5 Team Captains For 2016 Season".September 9, 2016.
- ^"Three rookies, Matt Ryan among players named to All-Pro team".NFL.January 6, 2017.
- ^"'Top 100 Players of 2017': No. 87 Travis Frederick ".NFL.
- ^"NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters".NFL.December 19, 2017.RetrievedDecember 26,2017.
- ^"Cowboys plan to keep OL Travis Frederick on roster".NFL.RetrievedSeptember 3,2018.
- ^Helman, David (October 6, 2018)."Cowboys Make Two Injury Moves Ahead Of Week 5".DallasCowboys.
- ^"Cowboys C Travis Frederick announces retirement".Dallas News.March 23, 2020.RetrievedMarch 23,2020.
- ^Walker, Patrik."Cowboys center Travis Frederick announces retirement at age 29".cbssports.RetrievedAugust 3,2020.
- ^"Demiplane Hires D&D Beyond Founder Adam Bradford".ComicBook.March 4, 2021.RetrievedJune 29,2022.
- ^"Demiplane's plan to make the world a better place with virtual tabletop gaming tools".VentureBeat.May 31, 2021.RetrievedJune 29,2022.
- ^Sheehan, Gavin (March 7, 2021)."Adam Bradford Heads To Demiplane As Chief Development Officer".Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.RetrievedJune 29,2022.
- ^Whitt, Richie (April 20, 2022)."Cowboys Comeback: OL Help From Surprise Unretirement?".Sports Illustrated.RetrievedJune 29,2022.
- ^Hoffer, Christian (June 4, 2024)."Roll20 Announces Purchase of Demiplane (Exclusive)".ComicBook.RetrievedJune 4,2024.
- ^"Lions host C Travis Frederick and LB Jeremiah Green for pre-draft visits Friday".
- ^Helman, David (August 22, 2018)."Frederick Diagnosed With Guillian Barré Syndrome".DallasCowboys.
- ^Epstein, Jori (November 16, 2018)."Cowboys' Travis Frederick sees hope, progress after 'scary' Guillain-Barre Syndrome diagnosis".USA TODAY.RetrievedJune 29,2022.
- ^Archer, Todd (March 23, 2020)."Cowboys OL Frederick, 29, announces retirement".ESPN.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
External links
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